Pre terms Flashcards
What is a DNA Polymerase?
Machine, or enzyme responsible for synthesizing new DNA copies
What are genes?
Region of DNA where critical information is found that controls hereditary characteristic
Usually specifies the production of a funtional product (protein or RNA molecule)
What are coding regions?
Directly encodes the product of the gene
What are regulatory regions?
Tells how and when to make the product
What is a chromosome?
All of the genomic DNA packaged into 1 or more functional units
What is a histone?
Packing proteins to assume highly 3D structure
What are plasmids?
Extrachromosomal pieces of DNA that can also carry important genetic information
What are intergenic regions?
Was “junk” spacers between genes
Now play critical roles in regulating gene expression
What are the type of macromolecules of gene products?
RNA and protein
What is special about RNA and proteins?
structural and functional components of the cell
Implement cellular function
1st stage in gene expression
Transcription
Synthesize a copy of the DNA of interest into RNA
The molecular machine that is responisible for carrying out transcription
RNA polymerase
2nd stage in gene expression
Translation
RNA sequence is translated to make funtional proteins
What is mRNA (messenger)
RNA that dicates the order of linked amino acids (coding molecules)
Directs protein synthesis done by ribosome (encode protein)
What is a genetic code
Set of rules that code triplet nucleotides (codons)
Series of codons in the mRNA strand
